


After Every Storm

by CTKO



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:07:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21844156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CTKO/pseuds/CTKO
Summary: Junmyeon met a boy at the beach when he was young, and every year after that it would storm on that same day. He didn't think anything of it until the storms started becoming more and more frequent.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Junmyeon | Suho
Comments: 8
Kudos: 75
Collections: Round 3: Autumn and Winter - On the Snow





	After Every Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Flake #762

Junmyeon discovers his affinity for water magic when he is fifteen. Waking up, he can feel the water all around him. He can feel its power, its potential, flowing through the pipes of the house, running through his body, sitting suspended in the clouds far above him. It is exhilarating, and almost overwhelming.

And with that excitement comes the joy of the knowledge that he can find his soulmate. Someone whose magic and personality will fit well with his own will stabilize it.

It is the day of the autumn equinox, and the weather is still warm if a bit crisp – the perfect temperature for spending the day outside. He doesn’t have any school that day, so he goes to the beach intent on spending as long as he can exploring his magic.

When he arrives, the beach is empty. Not many people come at this time of the year, as everyone is becoming wrapped up in school and work, too busy to spare a thought to visiting the water.

Junmyeon prefers it this way. Trees filled with colorful leaves run along the edge of the sand, creating a border between the rest of the world and the calm atmosphere of the beach. The only sound is that of the gentle waves hitting the sand from the ocean and the rustling of the leaves by a light breeze.

Junmyeon removes his shoes, and rolls up his pants, stepping into the water. He takes a deep breathe, focusing on the water around him, feeling its power flowing through him; flowing as an extension of himself.

Concentrating, Junmyeon closes his eyes, imagining a drop of the water rising out of the ocean to hover above it. When he opens his eyes, there is a small sphere of water sitting right in front of his face.

Junmyeon lets out a shout of joy. He didn’t think it would work on the first try. For the rest of the morning, he practices having the water move and stay suspended in different ways, first with his eyes closed blocking out the world, then opening them to watch the water move as his confidence grows.

The sun is high in the sky when Junmyeon gets an idea. Instead of reaching out to the water in the ocean like he has for the past few hours, he focuses instead on the water sitting idle in the clouds. He images it condensing, and falling down to the ground below in a creating a slow, soft sun shower. Junmyeon laughs happily as the water does exactly that. The rain starts to wet his clothes, but he doesn’t pay it any mind, too focused on the excitement of his achievement.

That may also be why he doesn’t notice the other person arrive at the beach.

“Woah! That’s amazing!”

The loud voice startles Junmyeon. He loses focus, and suddenly all the remaining water in the clouds is pouring down, soaking both him and the other boy on the beach.

Junmyeon panics. “Oh my god! I’m so sorry. I swear I didn’t mean to soak you. I was just practicing.” He rushes over to the boy, unsure about what to do. He hopes he isn’t too mad. It was the other boy’s fault for startling him after all.

To his surprise, instead of getting mad or annoyed, the boy starts to laugh. “Don’t worry about it.” The boy says, “I’m more impressed by the fact you were making it rain.”

“Oh,” Junmyeon says, “Thanks. I was just practicing. I just discovered my magic today.”

“Really! I just discovered mine today too!” the boy exclaims, “What a coincidence! I’m guessing your affinity is rain?”

Junmyeon smiles. “Mine's water, actually. What’s yours?”

“I think it has something to with electricity. I woke up this morning and started to give everyone little electric shocks.” The boy laughs, clearly thinking back to his morning. “My parents told me to go practice or something before I shocked one of them again. I’m Jongdae by the way.”

“I’m Junmyeon. I wouldn’t mind if you practiced with me. Maybe we can figure out exactly what your magic is.” Junmyeon wouldn’t mind company, and Jongdae seems to be quite nice, someone Junmyeon wouldn’t mind being friends with. Something about him is comfortable and easy.

Jongdae smiles. It's big and bright, and Junmyeon decides he like Jongdae’s smile.

They spend the rest of the practicing. At first, the focus on Jongdae’s affinity, since Junmyeon already knows what his is. They figure out it is electricity – specifically in the form of lightning – when Junmyeon tries to start making it rain again, and Jongdae succeeds in making a bolt of lightning jump across the sky. After that, just for the fun of it, they try making different levels of storms, seeing how far they can push the limits of their magic.

It’s fun just playing around. Their magic is exciting to experiment with separately but becomes even better when they work together. Junmyeon finds more and more reasons to like Jongdae as the day goes on, and by the end of it, he feels like he’s known Jongdae for much longer than only a handful of hours.

As the sun sets, and the day comes to an end, Junmyeon realizes he promised to be home before dark. He bids goodbye to Jongdae, content with his day, happy that he made a new friend, but sad he has to leave. It isn’t until he is back home that he realizes he has no idea if he will ever see Jongdae again.

//

Junmyeon returns to the beach every day for a week after that autumn equinox, but he never sees Jongdae there. He tells himself he’s just going to practice, but his mood dampens just slightly every time he arrives and doesn't see Jongdae there. Trips to the beach every day turn into every other day, then every week, and as the weather grows colder, and the leaves fall off the trees, Junmyeon gives up altogether.

Time passes, and Junmyeon becomes busy with school, then work, and over time Jongdae becomes a faint memory. A bittersweet one.

Every year he returns to the beach, making the trek in from the city. Every year he practices at that beach, spending the day in his own little bubble. Every year it rains, during his visit. It rains and it thunders, yet he still goes.

Junmyeon knows he’s the cause of the storm. At least the rain. He couldn’t make lightning last time he checked, but he can feel the storm buzzing in him, but no matter how much he tries he can never make the storm stop.

He tries to ignore it, but he always feels pulled to the beach on those days, like a tugging in his chest. A tugging that he always seems to give in to.

//

Six years later, Junmyeon is living in the city, about an hours’ drive from the beach and the town where he grew up.

He moved there for university, and decided to stay, using the degree he earned in business to start a small café with Minseok.

Although they were capable enough at working in the kitchen and at the counter, they had trouble covering both simultaneously, especially with the added responsibility of managing the café.

This led them to hire Baekhyun to help in the front, leaving the Minseok and Junmyeon to share working the front and keeping track of the finances.

Currently, Minseok had joined Junmyeon at the front for a bit to help with the early morning rush, which is now starting to dwindle down, as people have to go to work or school.

“By the way, I won’t be at work tomorrow on Wednesday. It’s the autumn equinox, so I’ll be visiting the beach to practice.”

“Why do you even practice? And why is it always on the autumn equinox?” Minseok groans, “Can’t you do it sometime other than the middle of the week, it’s gonna be so busy!”

Junmyeon laughs. “The more practice I have, the more control I have over my magic. As for the autumn equinox, that’s just the day I’ve set aside to make sure I practice, you know that.”

Minseok sighs, “I know. It’s just so busy with only Baekhyun and me running the café.”

As the café has gained popularity, they’ve been getting busier and busier, which is why Junmyeon isn’t too opposed to the idea of adding another person to their staff, when Minseok brings up the idea a few minutes later. “I have a friend, who is moving into the city soon, and he asked if I know anywhere close to his apartment that may be hiring. He needs a job for a while until he can figure out what he’s doing with his life. I told him he might be able to work for us if that is okay you of course.”

Junmyeon looks up from where he’s sweeping the floor. “Yeah, as long as you think he’ll be a good addition to the team, then I’m fine with it. It’s been getting really busy around here lately, so even if he changes his mind I still think we should look at hiring someone else to help out in the kitchen.”

“Okay then, I’ll let him know. He’ll be here on Thursday.” Minseok starts to turn to go back to the kitchen, but stops abruptly and spins back around, a smile on his face the Junmyeon knows spells trouble for him. “Oh! Since he’s joining us, we’ll be having drinks that night. Don’t forget this time.”

Junmyeon whines, “That was once! When will you let it go?!”

“Never.” Minseok cackles, retreating back into the kitchen. “Don’t forget, Jun!”

//

The drive to the beach takes longer than usual, the weather making it hard to see, forcing Junmyeon to go slower. Lightning cracks across the sky, as the clouds open up, letting rain pour down. The storm is particularly bad this year. He knew he should have left earlier.

Junmyeon would usually go to the beach first on the autumn equinox, then spend the rest of his time with his family, before heading back to the city. But this year, given the intensity of the storm, Junmyeon thinks his visit to the water can wait for another day.

His decision seems to be the right one, when the day after the autumn equinox turns out to be clear and fresh. There’s a dewy aspect to the day that’s only present after a good rain; the air is crisp, tinged with the slight cold that is characteristic of autumn. A light breeze rustles the leaves, which Junmyeon is happy to see have started to turn.

Junmyeon got up early, so the sun has just barely crested the horizon, casting vivid pinks, reds, and oranges across the sky.

The beach is empty – just like every year – which is not a problem for Junmyeon; he prefers it this way, he won’t freak anyone out when he practices. The water is still on the warmer side, but he doesn’t feel like going in just yet, taking off his shoes and setting them aside, but still staying on the beach.

He starts off with easier exercise, things he does on the regular, manipulating small amounts of water.

It starts raining again sometime in the late morning. It’s perfect for what Junmyeon wanted to practice.

He’d been excited to try something new now for a while. He doesn’t really have much space to practice in the city, and even if he did, he wouldn’t want to freak anyone out.

Junmyeon concentrates, imagining the water going in the opposite direction, raining upside down.

The water flows upwards, dispersing back into the clouds.

Suddenly, as though Junmyeon’s connection with his magic was cut, the rain stops traveling backwards, in fact, it stops raining altogether. Junmyeon frowns. “That’s weird.” He says out loud.

“What’s weird?”

Junmyeon startles, letting out a surprised, little squeak.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Standing behind Junmyeon is a boy wearing a bright yellow raincoat.

“It’s okay,” Junmyeon relaxes. “I just wasn’t expecting anyone else to be here today.”

The boy nods, then tilts his head slightly, confusion showing on his face. “Why aren’t you wearing a raincoat? Aren’t you cold?”

“Oh, um, I’m okay. I don’t mind the rain.”

The boy hums, nodding in understanding. “I see, I like the rain too, I guess I just wouldn’t stand out in it without a raincoat to keep me relatively dry. Anyway, what were you talking about earlier that was so weird?”

Junmyeon feels his cheeks heat up, wishing he didn’t say that out loud. “I just thought it was weird how it stopped raining so suddenly. I’ve never seen that happen before.”

The boy nods, flipping back his hood from his face, and wow. He’s really cute. Now Junmyeon embarrassed himself in front of a random, cute stranger that, if he’s being honest, he’s probably never going to see again, but he’s still kinda just wants to melt into a puddle and slip away.

Luckily for Junmyeon, the boy doesn’t actually seem too weirded out by him, and instead keeps talking, “Do you come here often?”

“Not really,” Junmyeon says, “I just visit every year to practice and see my family. What about you?”

The boy shakes his head, “No, I was just passing through, and I have some good memories here from when I was younger, so I thought I’d take a break from all the driving and check it out, y’know?”

“Yeah, I get what you mean, that’s kinda the reason I usually come here too. I live like an hour away, but I’ve got some nice memories here.” Junmyeon isn’t really in the mood to try to practice with someone else watching, and it’s getting late, so he decides he should leave before he embarrasses himself anymore. “Anyway, it was nice talking to you, but I really should get going. Bye!”

The boy waves as Junmyeon scoots past him and up the trail leading away from the beach. “Goodbye!”

//

The next day, Junmyeon is back at work. Minseok’s friend is supposed to arrive at some point in the day – Junmyeon never bothered to ask Minseok when – and Junmyeon is working the counter.

He’s daydreaming about the boy met at the beach the day before. Junmyeon can’t believe he didn’t ask for his name.

The bell rings, signaling a new customer entering the café. “ Junmyeon looks up to see the boy from the beach standing in front of him. “Hey! You’re the guy from the beach yesterday!”

“Wow, isn’t it a small world. I’m Jongdae by the way, I realized I never got your name either.”

“Oh, my name’s Junmyeon,” What are the chances that this would be the city the boy would have been moving to, on top of this being the café he decided to visit! “Anyway, how can I help you-?”

“Jongdae! You’re late! You were supposed to show up almost half an hour ago!” Minseok’s loud voice comes from behind Junmyeon, interrupting his conversation.

“Sorry, I’m not used to the traffic in the city.” Jongdae laughs sheepishly. “It’s definitely a change from the suburbs. Anyway, where do you want me working?”

“Wait,” Both Minseok and Jongdae look toward Junmyeon. “You’re Minseok’s friend? The one who just moved to the city?”

“Yeah,” Jongdae turns back to Minseok, gesturing towards Junmyeon. “He’s the person I met at the beach yesterday.”

Minseok laughs. “Really, well since you’ve already met, why don’t you show Jongdae around the café Junmyeon, I have to get back to the kitchen, I’m in the middle of icing some cupcakes.” Minseok is gone before Junmyeon can object, leaving him alone with Jongdae.

He sighs, “Well. I guess I show you the back first so you can put your stuff away.”

Junmyeon feels warm inside when Jongdae smiles brightly, talking excitedly and asking questions as he gets him settled into the job.

//

As per tradition, they go out for dinner that night, after Jongdae’s first day of work. Nothing fancy, just some food, and few drinks. It was fun and easy, and by soon Junmyeon felt like he’s known Jongdae for much longer than he really has.

At some point in the night, their conversations somehow dissolved into them sharing the stories from the café with Jongdae. It’s late, very late, when they leave the restaurant laughing over Baekhyun retelling of the time Junmyeon added to much hot water into the cupcake batter, and freak out when they started overflowing in the oven.

Saying his goodbyes to everyone, Junmyeon starts walking in the direction of his apartment, only to be followed by Jongdae. “Do you mind if I walk with you for a bit, since I’m headed in the same direction and all.”

“Sure,” The cool night air is nice and refreshing after the heat of the restaurant. Autumn is Junmyeon’s favorite time of the year, all the leaves turn color, and it’s not too cold, just cool enough that he can start to wear sweaters without getting weird looks.

The sounds of the city act as a nice background to the walk, as they continue on in silence for a couple of blocks. It’s quite, but comfortable.

“So how did you all meet and start the café?” Jongdae asks.

“Well, I’ve known Baekhyun since I was little. We needed some help in the front, and he needed a part-time job, so it worked well for all of us. And Minseok and I went to the same university. He was in the year above me, but we still shared a couple of classes. We started the shop together.”

Jongdae hums, nodding distractedly. “Did you and Minseok date at all?”

Junmyeon’s head swivels to look at Jongdae so fast, he’s surprised he doesn’t give himself whiplash. “What! How did you know that?”

“I’ve known Minseok since we were both in diapers,” Jongdae laughs. “He told me he was going to start a café with this one person he dated for a while, and I was curious if that was you or Baekhyun.”

“Oh,” Junmyeon feels stupid for not remembering that Minseok and Jongdae already knew each other well before today. “We did date for a while, and I’m really glad that we stayed friends after we broke up too, I don’t know what I’d do without him sometimes.”

“That’s what he said too.” His voice more somber, quieter, when he continues, “He said he thought you guys were soulmates.”

“Yeah,” Junmyeon breathes, “we both thought that,” Junmyeon pauses, remembering, “but we were wrong. That’s not the reason we broke though, I mean tons of people live their lives without their soulmates. We just decided we worked better as friends.” Jongdae doesn’t say anything. “Do you know who your soulmate is?”

“No,” Jongdae responds, “I mean, there’s this one person I met when I was younger that, looking back, I’m pretty sure was my soulmate, but I have no idea where, or even who, they are now.” Jongdae turns to Junmyeon and smiles, “Anyway, this is my building, I guess I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

Junmyeon looks up at the building. “You’re kidding,” Much to Junmyeon surprise, not only does Jongdae live in the same area as him, but also the same building. “This is where I live.”

“Really! Which floor?”

“Three. What about you?”

“Seriously? I’m on floor three as well!” They both stifle their laughter as they walk up the stairs to their floor, trying not to disturb the other people probably fast asleep in their apartments. Junmyeon stops once he reaches his door, turning to say goodbye to Jongdae. “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”

“Yeah, good night! I’ll see you tomorrow.”  
Junmyeon leans against the door once he’s inside his apartment, and he can’t help but smile.

He can’t wait for tomorrow.

//

Junmyeon is walking down the stairs of the apartment complex the next day on his way to work when he hears someone calling his name. “Hey Junmyeon, wait up!” He stops and turns to see Jongdae running down the stairs towards him. Jongdae is slightly out of breath when he reaches Junmyeon. “Hey, do you mind if I walk with you?”

“Of course not, it’ll be nice to have some company.”

They spend the walk chatting about random things. It’s fun. Talking to Jongdae comes easily.

And later that day they’ve closed the café, he walks back home with Jongdae as well.

Soon they’ve developed a pattern, they wait for each other at the end of the hall in the morning to walk to work. At the end of the day, they walk home together from work, and sometimes instead of saying goodbye when they reach their floor, Junmyeon will ask if Jongdae wants to come over that night for dinner, or Jongdae ask if Junmyeon wants to come over for a drink and some snacks.

Work is just as fun, with Jongdae fitting into their group seamlessly. The busiest times of the day are easier with the help of an added person, and it’s easy to joke around, while still getting their work done.

As Junmyeon and Jongdae grow closer, Minseok and Baekhyun have no trouble picking up on it.

“Jongdae, are you trying to steal my best friend from me?” Minseok says, an expression of mock hurt on his face.

Jongdae gasps, changing his expression into one of faked offense. “I thought I was your best friend,”

“You were demoted to a close friend as soon as I met Junmyeon.”

Jongdae hums, “Quite understandable, but I think I would like to replace you as Junmyeon’s best friend.”

Junmyeon giggles and the two of them turn to face him.

“Junmyeon, we need to know,” Jongdae says.

“Who would you say is your best friend?” Minseok finishes.

Junmyeon tries his best to keep a straight face as he responds. This entire interaction is so over that top, he’s having trouble not bursting out laughing. He walks over to Baekhyun, who has been watching the scene unfold, stifling his own laughter, and throws an arm around him. “It’s Baekhyun of course.”

All of them burst laughing, unable to hold back anymore.

“I don’t know,” Baekhyun manages to say. “I think I might be replaced soon with how you and Jongdae are spending so much time together.”

Junmyeon looks over at Jongdae to see him staring back at him, a smile on his face. Jongdae winks at him conspiratorially, and Junmyeon finds himself hoping that they end up as more than just friends.

Junmyeon invites Jongdae over for dinner later that night.

“We are not putting pineapple on pizza!” They decided to order in, having already both worked in the kitchen for the majority of the day, and Jongdae thinks they should get pizza with pineapple on it.

“Why not?”

“Because!”

“You can just pick it off; you don’t have to eat it,” Jongdae argues.

They stare each other down, both waiting for the other to crack first.

“Fine,” Junmyeon groans, “but only because I love you.” Junmyeon slaps a hand over his mouth, eyes widening in shock. Everything seems to freeze, as he waits for Jongdae to react. “I- That’s- “

“Can I kiss you?” Jongdae cuts him off, eyes serious when Junmyeon meets his gaze. His face is only a few inches from Junmyeon’s, and when he nods, he leans in slowly, giving time for Junmyeon to change his mind.

Junmyeon closes his eyes as Jongdae’s lips meet is own. The kiss is electric, buzzing through him, addictive. He feels wired, alive, and all he knows is that he doesn’t want it to stop.

//

The weather is getting colder, a coat and hat now becoming necessary. Junmyeon and Jongdae are hanging up their coats and changing into their work clothes when Jongdae leans over to kiss Junmyeon. He melts into the kiss. Jongdae’s lips are warm and addictive, probably because he kept his face buried in his scarf on the way to the café that morning.

Minseok walks in just as Jongdae is pulling away. “Finally,” he groans, “we’ve been waiting for you two to get together forever.”

Junmyeon jumps away from Jongdae like he’s been shocked, letting out a little squeak. He’s sure his face is turning scarlet from the embarrassment of being caught. “What!”

Minseok just laughs in reply. “I’m going to go help Baekhyun in the front today. You too can work in the kitchen, as long as you’re making cupcakes instead of making out.” he teases, cackling as he grabs his apron and leaves the room.

As soon as he’s gone Jongdae breaks down laughing. He gives Junmyeon one last kiss once he calms down enough to speak. “Okay, let’s get to work,” he says, leaving Junmyeon to finish getting ready.

//

Junmyeon is laying in his bed next to Jongdae. The bright morning sun is flooding in through the window, casting a golden light across the room.

The café doesn’t open until later that day, so they’re taking the opportunity to relax and sleep in a little after Jongdae slept over the night before.

Junmyeon is tracing patterns on Jongdae’s skin absentmindedly, snuggled up close to him under the covers. Jongdae squirms as Junmyeon’s fingers skate lightly over his side. “Stop,” he whines. “That tickles.” Jongdae wraps his arms tight around Junmyeon, pulling him closer and trapping his arms at his side, preventing him from continuing his previous actions.

Junmyeon giggles, content. It’s warm under the cover – especially with the body heat of two people – but not unbearably so. The warmth and the sunshine flooding the room make the morning feel like a lovely dream.

Unfortunately, they also make Junmyeon reluctant to move when it’s time to get up.

“C’mon, we’ve got to get ready for work,” Jongdae says.

“I don’t wanna,” Junmyeon pouts, burrowing further into the sheet. “It’s nice and warm and I think we should just keep sleeping all day.”

Jongdae laughs lightly as he drops a quick kiss on the tip of Junmyeon’s nose. “We have to get up at some point.”

“No, we don’t. I’ll just stay here with you for the rest of my life.”

Jongdae pulls away. “I love you,” he says it so simply like it’s a fact. “If anyone is my soulmate, I hope it’s you.”

Junmyeon smiles softly. “Me too.” And he means it.

//

“I’ve been offered a job working with a radio station nearby!” Jongdae asked them all to gather at his apartment for dinner, buzzing with excitement, saying he had news.

“That’s awesome!”

“Thank you so much. I’ve had an amazing time working with you all.”

Minseok punches him lightly. “Stop acting like we’ll never see you again. I bet you’ll be back here every day.”

“Pft. That’s true. I mean, I’ll definitely be busy at first, but once I settle in, yeah. I’ll visit so much you’ll be sick of seeing me.”

//

That morning Junmyeon waits in the hallway for ten minutes before he remembers that he doesn’t need to wait for Jongdae anymore. The walk feels a lot longer without anyone to talk to, and now that Jongdae isn’t there with him, he realized how much he loved this part of his day, and how routine it had become for him.

Despite the weather forecast predicting clear, sunny skies that morning, about halfway through Junmyeon’s walk, it starts to rain. Luckily it’s not raining enough to warrant an umbrella or a raincoat – cause Junmyeon didn’t bring either with him – only a light sun shower, and Junmyeon figures it will no doubt be done by the end of the day.

As they are finishing cleaning the dishes

“Look, I know you miss Jongdae and all, but there’s no need for you to make the rest of us suffer with you.” Minseok teases, while they’re cleaning the dishes at the end of the day, sending a pointed look out the window. It’s raining outside. It has been all day. It’s only a light drizzle, but.

The rain has been pounding on the roof all day. It has turned into white noise for Junmyeon, accompanied by the occasional clap of thunder. He isn’t surprised that Minseok has brought it up, they don’t get this type of rain, not with all the magic controlling the weather now. “Hey! You know I’m probably not the only person with a water affinity living in this city.”

Minseok snorts. “Sure, Jun. You keep telling yourself that, but we both know how uncommon elemental affinities are nowadays.”

Junmyeon sends a splash of soapy water Minseok’s way in response. He doesn’t really want to think about how this storm is his doing. He already knows it is. He can feel the power of the storm buzzing in him. He is rewarded with a high-pitched shriek, and bursts out laughing when he sees Minseok’s scandalized expression, hair dripping wet.

Without the help of a fourth person, cleaning the café takes a bit longer that day. That, mixed with the shortening days as they near the end of the autumn season, results in it being completely dark out when they finish, leaving Junmyeon to walk home alone in the rain.

//

Junmyeon is sitting on the couch staring out the window. The only sound in his apartment is the soft patter of rain against the glass. It’s been raining non-stop for the past week.

At first, he didn’t pay any attention to it: it usually rains a bit throughout the fall, but this much rain isn’t normal. It hasn’t stopped raining at all. For close to seven whole days. Junmyeon tried using magic to make the rain stop, but it didn’t work, which is troubling. The only other time that’s happened before was when he met Jongdae – granted, he doesn’t usually try to stop it from raining, but has always been able to it when he needed to.

Junmyeon is pulled from his thoughts by a knock on his front door.

Extracting himself from the pile of blankets he’d buried into, he opens the door to see Jongdae, standing in the hallway, holding up a bag full of takeout. “Hey, I brought food.” A smile takes over Junmyeon’s face. Jongdae’s been so busy with his new job that they haven’t been able to see each other for the entire week. Although they have been texting each other constantly, it’s not the same as actually spending time together.

“Hey,” Junmyeon opens the door fully, so Jongdae can step inside the apartment, giving him a quick hug and kiss, before closing the door behind himself. Junmyeon takes the food, placing it on the little table in front of the couch. “It’s your turn to choose the movie, right?”

Once they are both settled on the couch, ready to waste the night snuggled together watching movies, Junmyeon spares a quick glance over to the window. He smiles. It isn’t raining anymore.

//

Junmyeon is not having a very good day.

Jongdae has been so busy with work again that he wasn’t able to visit at all in the past week; he texted Junmyeon, apologizing, saying he didn’t think he would even be able to drop by until the end of this week.

On top of that, the rain has started again, the morning after it stopped, and it hasn’t let up since. It’s even worse than it was the week before, and if anything it’s getting progressively more stormy as the week goes on, now frequently accompanied by thunder and lightning.

To make matters worse, one of the customers is ranting to someone on their phone about the rain rather loudly.

“It’s been pouring non-stop for the past week, at least, maybe two! And I mean it’s been raining hard, as in I can’t go anywhere without a heavy raincoat if I don’t want to get soaked through. It has to be someone’s magic acting up or something, it’s crazy. It needs to stop-“

Junmyeon freezes at the mention of magic. He stops making the drink he was working on for a minute, and instead, he reaches out, feeling the rain pouring outside. Focusing, he tries to make it stop, make it slow down, make it do anything. He doesn’t realize he’s shaking from the effort of it, until Baekhyun is at his side, guiding him to the back of the café hurriedly, out of sight, but not out of sound, of the rest of the people in the shop, wiping tears off his face, and pulling him into a tight hug.

As soon as they are in the kitchen, Minseok rushes over, abandoning the muffins he was making. “Shh, it’s okay,” When Baekhyun pulls away, returning to the front of the café, Minseok it right there to take his place, rubbing Junmyeon’s back, getting him to calm down.

Baekhyun's voice drifts over to them from the front of the café. “Excuse me, sir. I’m going to have to ask you to speak a bit quieter.”

“Why? It don’t think-“

“You’re unnecessarily loud, and it’s disturbing other people. Please, quite down, or I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

The man stops talking closely followed by the sound of their front door slamming shut, leaving only the thunder of rain on the café roof.

Junmyeon sits in the kitchen for a few more minutes before returning to the front to continue working. Baekhyun shoots him worried look, but Junmyeon only plasters on a smile in response.

No one says anything about the events that morning until the end of the day when Junmyeon brings it up to Minseok after closing the café.

“I keep trying to make it stop raining, but nothing works! I don’t what I’m doing wrong! It’s like my magic just has a mind of its own!”

“You know your powers actually pull you towards your soulmate.” Minseok cuts into Junmyeon’s rant calmly.

Junmyeon’s takes a step back. “I thought it was that your magic fit well together with your soulmates?” He knew a person affinity was connected to their soulmates, but he didn’t think their magic would actually bring them together.

Minseok sighs, “Yes, but it also works to bring you closer to your soulmate, sometimes like it’s pulling you to each other. Depending on the circumstances your magic may become slightly out of your control until you’re with them.”

“Oh,” Junmyeon says, “So this probably won’t stop until I figure out who it is.”

Minseok shakes his head, expression apologetic, and pulls Junmyeon into a gentle hug. They stand in silence for a while, Minseok just holding Junmyeon close, as though he can protect Junmyeon from everything, it only for a few minutes.

Pulling away slightly, Minseok rests his forehead against Junmyeon’s looking into his eyes. “If it gets to be too much, tell me okay, or tell Jongdae? We can figure it out. You don’t need to do this alone.”

Junmyeon nods, and Minseok, taking it as enough of a confirmation, kisses his forehead, then pulls away fully, going back to cleaning up the café.

//

Late the next, Junmyeon finds himself doing the exact opposite of what Minseok told him to.

It is raining again today, and if possible it’s even worse than it was the day before.

The café is closed today so Junmyeon has nothing to distract himself with. As the day goes on, and the rain shows no sign of stopping, Junmyeon stews in his distress over his inability to control the rain. Along with the distress grows a tugging in his chest, similar to the one he felt on the autumn equinox.

So, instead of listening to Minseok, and talking to him, like he knows he should, Junmyeon throws on his raincoat and climbs into his car, following the tugging in his chest.

He ends up at the beach. Colorful leaves litter the sand, fallen from the trees preparing for winter only a couple weeks away. Waves crash against the shore. There’s so much rain that Junmyeon can barely see. It’s a wonder he even made it to the beach. A small part of him is yelling at how insane this whole situation is, but another larger part of him feels relieved. Relieved that the unbearable tugging in his chest has finally stopped.

All he can do now is wait. Wait until either the tugging starts again, or someone – his soulmate – to shows up the beach.

Junmyeon waits and waits, the small voice in his head getting louder and louder until it’s drowning else everything out. The rain soaking his clothes, his shoes, his hair becomes painfully obvious, and although Junmyeon usually loves the water all he wants in this moment is to be dry.

A bolt of lightning streaks across the sky right above Junmyeon and the resulting thunder sounds in his ears.

Junmyeon is barely able to take one step away from is spot on the beach and back towards his car to drive home before the tugging starts again.

He spins back around so he is facing the ocean. “What do you want from me!” he screams.

There is no response, not that he expected one anyway. He’s always drawn hear yet nothing ever changes, and now his power might be restrained. In that moment it’s just too much. “I don’t care anymore!” His voice cracks, “I don’t, so just leave me alone!”

Surprisingly, the storm seems to actually listen to him, the rain letting up slightly, even though the lightning continues, flashing across the sky more frequently than before.

“Junmyeon?” Junmyeon’s breath catches in his throat. He turns to see a person standing behind him at the edge of the beach where the trees meet the sand.

“Jongdae,” Junmyeon whispers. “What are you doing here?”

Jongdae is breathing heavily, obviously having just run, and looks just a soaked through as Junmyeon feels. “I, um, my magic brought me here. It just felt really important.”

Junmyeon nods. They stand staring at each other, both of them thinking about what to say next.

Jongdae’s voice interrupts his thoughts. “Wait, Jun, what is your affinity.”

Junmyeon’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, wondering why Jongdae would want to now of all times. “It’s water, why?”

A smile grows on Jongdae’s face, and walks closer to Junmyeon until he’s standing right in front of him, “Mine’s lightning.”

Jongdae watches him, seemingly waiting for Junmyeon to make some sort of connection in his mind. Another bolt of lightning flashes across the sky, and suddenly it makes sense, pulling Junmyeon’s thoughts back to the storm, to why exactly he’s standing on the beach. “Oh my god, you’re my soulmate.”

Junmyeon laughs. It all makes so much sense now. When he catches his breath, Jongdae is staring at him, a soft smile lighting up his face. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes,” Junmyeon giggles.

And when Jongdae kisses him it’s like the first time, electric, perfect, and he knows this is exactly what he wants.


End file.
